“Tunnel in the Sky,” by Robert A. Heinlein is a science fiction novel that is partly a survival adventure and partly a study of government.

A small group of men and women are taking part in a ten-day survival course when something goes wrong and they are not recalled at the end of the test. Trapped on a planet with no way to contact Earth they must find a way to survive, not only for ten days, but perhaps for the rest of their lives.

At first the stranded people must face the dangers of animals and finding food, but soon they discover that there is a greater danger. There are no laws, and someone must take the lead to bring about order in the group. Heinlein summarizes the situation through the words of one character:

“Friends,” he said, “we are gathered here tonight to found a new nation.”He paused to let the idea sink in. “You know our situation. We fervently hope to be rescued. I will even go so far as to say that I think we will be rescued... eventually.”“It might be tomorrow... it might be our descendants a thousand years from now. But when the main body of our great race reestablishes contact with us, it is up to us whether they find a civilized society, or flea-bitten animals without language, without art—with the light of reason grown dim. Or no survivors at all, nothing but bones picked clean!”

“Tunnel in the Sky” is a great book. Heinlein's book is not only meaningful but also exciting, with plenty of action. This classic book will delight science fiction lovers.

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